Childcare

CENTRE MANAGEMENT

The Centre is sponsored by the Central Coast Council. It is run as a non-profit organisation to offer the community a choice of quality child care. The Child Care Centre, the Outside School Hours Care and Vacation Care programs, which operates at Penguin, East Ulverstone and Forth are part of the Community Services Division of the Council.

The Children’s Services programs are under the management of the Director of Community Services, Cor Vander Vlist. The Coordinator of Children’s Services Andrea Lutwyche and the Coordinator of Outside School Hours Care, Hannah Mee.

The Centre consists of a team of professionals, – teachers, childcare graduates, experienced educators, cleaners and a cook. We have access to part-time support for children with special needs through the North West Inclusion Support Team.

ULVERSTONE CHILDCARE CENTRE

The Ulverstone Child Care Centre aims to provide consistent high quality care for your child, and support for your family and the community.

We aim to provide a warm, stimulating environment in which each child feels secure and is motivated to learn and develop through play at his/her own level, and that staff builds a trusting and secure environment for both children and families.

CENTRE LICENCE

The Centre is licensed by the Department of Education to care for up to 75 children at any one time; the age range being from 0 to 5 years.

The East Ulverstone and Forth service is licensed for 40 children; Penguin is licensed for 30.

As a Commonwealth-funded Centre, certain conditions of licence must be adhered to. When the Child Care Act was first introduced in 1972, one of its prime objectives was to provide child care for working parents; therefore places within Centres must be allocated according to clear-cut priorities.

PARENTS AND STAFF WORKING TOGETHER

You, as parents are the child’s first education and the main influence in their life. It is therefore vital that staff and parents decide together what is important for your children. This forms the basis of our Centre philosophies and goals. Parent’s ideas and suggestions are essential to the Centre in its commitment to continuous quality improvement. Family members are encouraged to share with the Centre’s activities with the children; excursions, games, music and meal times. We also welcome parent participation in its program. If you wish to share something of interest with us or have any special skills or talents, please inform the staff so we can include your visit in our daily program. We encourage families to join us in the various centre social activities that we organise, for example, family barbecues, parent/carer evenings, etc. You are invited to visit and share your child’s day at any time.